Editors' Choice Snow Award 2012: Sierra Designs Tov Jacket
Warm, high-tech, and fitted for optimal winter performance.
[new-tech down hoody]
The Tov delivers similar weatherproofing as the Ultralite (SD uses DriDown, its own version of water-repellent down), but the 600-fill jacket has a more winter-friendly fit and feature set. The long, butt-protecting cut worked well on chilly belays, the adjustable hood fits over a ski helmet, thumbholes in the elasticized cuffs prevent wrist gaps, and oversized zipper pulls are easy to grab with gloves on. “I got nailed with relentless thunderstorms on day one of a four-day trip in Rocky Mountain National Park,” says one tester. “This jacket was wet or damp the entire trip, in and out of my pack constantly, but it never lost its loft.” Tradeoff: Cheaper 600-fill down is slightly heavier and less packable than the premium stuff. $259; 1 lb. (w’s M); m’s S-XXL; w’s XS-XL; sierradesigns.com